Life After
by Stradivarium
Summary: Set after the events of episode 12, this will focus on my take on what Mizuho's and Kei's life would be... Please read and review!
1. Prologue

**Title: **Life After

**Author: **Weaver of Words

**Rating: **PG-13

**Number of Words: **766

"This" Denotes speech while

"_This" _Denotes thought

* * *

"_Mizuho Kazami, you will be stripped of your surveyor status, and you will return to your home planet immediately. All life forms that associated with you at Delta-D-E-S-8-2-2-8 will have their memories sealed away…"_

"_He didn't remember me after all…"_

"_Are you here to observe us again?" _

"_Ma'am… I can see you again, finally…" _

"_I'm ready to embrace you here, in the real world"_

"_I love you." _

"Kei, wake up."

Kei immediately opened his eyes as he heard the sweet voice of his "wife" and teacher calling to him. He looked up to see Mizuho still in her nightgown. Kei blushed. Mizuho looked at him curiously then smiled teasingly.

"What's wrong Kei? Are you ill?"

"N-no." kei was really fun to tease.

"Just kidding, silly. Sleep well?

He didn't answer. Instead, he placed his arms around her waist and gave her a sweet kiss. Mizuho blushed a deep red when they parted. She still wasn't used to Kei being openly affectionate to her, even in private.

"I hope that answers your question." Kei grinned. Mizuho just smiled.

"Well, you better hurry up. We're going to be late."

**_

* * *

_**

It has already been a week since they had been reunited with each other. They had begun catching up with each other's lives a day after their reunion. Both lamented the fact that they had lost been parted for a year, but were happy that things turned out the way they did.

"Hey Kei, you seem pretty happy today! What's up?" Hyosuke asked Kei with a conspiratorial grin. They were eating at the cafeteria with Ichigo, Koishi, Matagu and Kaede.

"Oh, nothing really, just felt like it." Kei grinned.

"I bet you got laid." Kei blew out the food he was eating.

"Wh-what! Who gave you that idea?" Kei sputtered. The others, who were originally not interested in the subject of the twosome's discussion, now listened on with rapt interest.

"You look like he cat that swallowed the canary. So who's the lucky girl?"

Kei just smacked himself in the head. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Mr. Kusanagi, are you listening?"

Kei was shaken out of his daze when Mizuho called out to him. Apparently, she had asked a question about the modern Japanese culture which Kei failed to hear. He was busy daydreaming about a certain red-haired and purple-eyed woman.

"What is it, Mizu -, I mean, Miss Kazami?"

Mizuho blinked at that, before realizing what Kei had almost done. She glared at him subtly before repeating her question. Kei cringed, before answering her question.

This was going to be a long day, indeed.

* * *

"You almost exposed our secret back there!" Mizuho shouted at him while she was standing on the veranda. Kei took the rebuke and meekly lowered his head. 

"I'm sorry. But if you didn't want that to happen, you shouldn't have called me!"

"But I can't ignore the fact that you weren't listening!" Her eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Umm…" Kei couldn't admit that he was thinking about the young Kazami.

"I see… you must have been thinking about Miss Herikawa…"

"How can you say that? You know the only one I think about is you!" Mizuho blushed slightly, but it went completely unnoticed by Kei.

"Hmph!"

Mizuho turned her back to him, not showing any effort to hide her annoyance at her significant other. It was obvious that she was still irritated at what had transpired earlier during class.

The young Kusanagi was very much aware that Mizuho was annoyed when he almost spilled the beans. He was also painfully aware of the consequences if his relationship with his teacher was ever found out.

She was still very much annoyed when she felt arms encircle her waist. She stiffened, before relaxing in his embrace.

"_How does he always manage to diffuse me whenever I'm angry?" _

They stayed like that for a few moments, before they disengaged from each other. She turned around to face him.

"Just be more careful next time, alright?" Kei just nodded. He didn't want to experience her wrath ever again.

* * *

**Author's note: **This is an experimental fic, as it is the first time I'm writing a piece that incorporates a romantic theme. I don't have a specific plot yet, but this will focus on Kei and Mizuho's life after episode 12… Comments, creative criticism and suggestions would be most welcome!

_-Weaver of Words_


	2. Chapter 1

**Title: **Life After

**Author: Inspired Seeker**

**Rating: **PG-13

**Number of Words: **1,525

"This" Denotes speech while

"_This" _Denotes thought

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Sunlight filled the room as morning began to set in. Kei slowly opened his eyes and saw Mizuho's bare back facing towards him. He pulled her body closer to his as he felt her stir. She turned in his embrace, gave him a peck on the lips before standing up from the futon to get dressed. Kei was treated to an excellent view of her backside.

Mizuho felt his eyes on her and immediately turned back to look at him. The young Kusanagi, anticipating this, quickly averted his eyes. This just made Mizuho smile.

"I'm going to start on breakfast, okay?"

"Alright." Mizuho blew him a kiss before she left.

Kei's eyes returned to Mizuho's retreating figure as he dressed. He remembered their "activities" last night, and he blushed at that thought of his girlfriend.

"_Girlfriend? Oh, that's right; the Galaxy Federation must have erased records of our marriage." _Kei thought grimly.

He was determined to change that today.

* * *

Mizuho noticed the worried look on Kei's face as they were eating breakfast. She noticed that he had his eyebrows scrounged together, as if he was thinking about something. She decided to ask about him. 

"Is there a problem?" Kei looked up from his food.

"Uhh… nothing. Everything's okay." Kei gave her a small smile while scratching the back of his head. _"Was I that obvious?" _

"You know you can confide your problems to me, right?" Mizuho pressed on, all thw while regarding Kei with curiosity. The latter just sighed.

"Yeah." _"But I can't ask you about my plan to propose to you if I'm going to make it a secret?"_

"Okay…if you say so."

* * *

The young Kazami was out shopping for groceries, thus allowing Kei to prepare his plan in secret. Of course, he met a few obstacles in his "planning session" when he realized that he cannot ask for help if he was going to make it a secret. Because of this, he decided that he can only rely on himself to make it work. 

Feeling determination build up inside of him, Kei immediately took his jacket, wrote a note to Mizuho that he'll be out until later, before leaving the complex.

He needed to get a ring, and quick.

* * *

Mizuho arrived at the place she and Kei shared feeling exhausted. She dropped the bags filled with groceries on the table and was about to head for the shower when she read Kei's note. 

_Mizuho,_

_I'm going out buy some review materials for the upcoming tests. See you later!_

_Love,_

_Kei_

Suddenly feeling warm all over, Mizuho decided to hit the showers and take a quick nap while waiting for Kei. She decided to do something "special" for him when gets back.

* * *

Kei was elated. He managed to buy a simple Garnet ring encased in a velvet box. He decided that instead of the usual diamond ring, he'll just get a Garnet one, for it matches Mizuho's eye color. That and the fact that he, unfortunately, cannot afford a diamond one! 

He was rushing to get home when he bumped into someone. Kei apologized profusely, before helping the person up. _Wait a minute, she looks like…_

"Koishi!"

"Hi, Kei." Koishi said, forcing a smile.

"What's wrong?" Kei asked, noticing the fact that Koishi's smile was fake.

"Nothing. Why don't we go to the park?"

"Okay." Kei began to have a bad feeling about all this.

* * *

Mizuho sighed for the umpteenth time that evening. She was still waiting for Kei, and she was getting worried. 

"_Its getting late… did something happen to him?" _

Alarmed at the thought she quickly called for Marie.

"Marie, please teleport me to Kei's location. This is a priority one."

* * *

"I understand, Koishi. I know how it feels like. " The young Kusanagi sympathetically said. It reminded him of that time with Kozue, his older sister. 

Kei tried to comfort Koishi as she cried against his chest. She had just confided to him that her favorite uncle had just died unexpectedly. In an effort to soothe the girl, Kei embraced her and moved his hand up and down his classmate's back.

Unfortunately, fate decided that Mizuho arrive at that exact same moment.

* * *

Mizuho couldn't believe what she saw. She saw Kei embracing none other than Miss Herikawa. She felt anger and jealousy course up inside her. She decided that she'd had enough. 

Her eyes were brimming with tears when she met Kei's eyes. She gave a silent command to Marie to teleport her away.

Away from Kei…

* * *

Kei felt panic, fear and a lot of other negative emotions when he saw the young Kazami. He saw the tears and immediately felt disgusted about the fact that he had made her cry. He needed to find her, and quickly. 

"Koishi, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Why, what's the problem?" Koishi's question went unanswered for he has already taken off, off to find his one true love.

Things were not going smoothly as planned.

* * *

Mizuho find herself at the beach again, her bright red hair going with the wind. She pulled her knees closer to her chest as she continued to cry silently to herself. 

"_Why did Kei do this? Am I not good enough for him?" _

She was about to continue when she felt arms on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Kei looking down at her.

* * *

Kei felt like he was stabbed in the heart when he saw Mizuho crying. The next words she said pierced him even more. 

"Review materials, huh? Why did you do it, Kei? Why did you have to lie to me?"

"Mizuho, I'm sorry, but it's not what you think!"

"Not what I think? I'm beginning to believe that you're just leading me around!" She stood up and walked away, before she was stopped from behind by Kei.

"Take your arms off me!"

"Please, listen to me! The reason I was out was…" Kei was at a loss for words.

"Was what?" Even though she was still angry at Kei, she was still interested at what he has to say. Instead of answering, Kei decided to show it instead.

She was shocked at what he did next. He kneeled before her, before taking one of her hands…

"_According to the manual, this is what men on Earth do when-" _

"Mizuho Kazami, will you marry me?"

The young Kazami's anger, doubts and feaes dissipated in an instant. Instead of verbally saying yes, she pulled him up before she gave him a forceful kiss. They stayed like that for a while before they parted, resting their foreheads together.

Kei took her left hand again to slip in the engagement ring on her ring finger. Mizuho wiped away the tears from her eyes when his fiancée kissed her hand.

"Its beautiful." Mizuho breathed out. The stone matched the color of her eyes perfectly. Kei smiled as the woman he loved admired the ring.

"This" Intertwining his right hand with her left, "was the real reason I was out." Kei said, somewhat relieved that he was able to "pop the question". Mizuho smiled, but was somewhat regretful about what happened earlier. This caused some tears to slip from her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you sad because of our engagement?"

"No, its just that I am sorry for misunderstanding you and Miss Herikawa…"

"It's okay. Koishi just told me that her uncle had died, and she was feeling sad about it, so I tried to soothe her." Mizuho nodded, with a look of understanding in her eyes.

"Let's go home."

"_All went well after all…"_

_

* * *

_

**Author's note: **Finally finished this chapter. Even though it's short, it was pretty challenging to write, because I didn't have much experience in this kind of fics.

I'm pretty sure many are asking: W_hy a proposal? Aren't they already married?_ If I recall correctly, the Galaxy federation wiped the memory of those who associated with Mizuho. Because of this, there's a big chance that those in city hall that processed their marriage had their memories erased too. Along with this, the records were probably erased so as to hide Mizuho's existence. Well, that's my theory anyway.

**Special thanks to: **

_**Mizuho** – _Thanks!

**_renerio jr _**– Thanks! There will be more to come, as long as my muse of inspiration is around . But of course, I'm willing to take suggestions from readers ;).

**_Hobie _**– Thanks! I'll try to find a copy, assuming that shops here in the Philippines have copies of the Onegai Twins! Books…

Hey, by the way, your fic, _Onegai Bounty Hunter_, is very well written! I'm looking forward to reading more of it.

Just one question about it (two, actually): Will it have a good or bad ending? Or will you make both?

**_Ominae_** – I'm glad you enjoyed it! By the way, I'm still thinking of the proper time when to include the OVA of Onegai teacher!

As always suggestions and constructive criticisms are most welcome!


	3. Chapter 2

**Title: **Life After

**Author: **Inspired Seeker

**Rating: **PG-13

**Number of Words: **1, 648

"This" Denotes speech while

"_This" _Denotes thought

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Kei shifted under the covers as he was slowly being pulled away from sleep. He clenched the covers for a second before his hand slid up the futon, as if searching for someone. His eyes opened, as he didn't find her, looking around the room for her.

"Mizuho?" He called out softly, a slight frown marring his features. His frown was immediately replaced with a smile when he heard the sounds of cooking and the smell of breakfast wafting into their room.

Kei slowly walked towards the kitchen, hoping to find Mizuho there. Indeed, she was there, cooking breakfast and humming at the same time. She was wearing white panties, an apron – and nothing else.

The realization hit Kei like a ton of bricks. He rubbed his eyes to see if what he saw was only his imagination. Sure enough, it wasn't. He just stood there, gawking at her.

"Like what you see, Kei-chan?"

The young Kusanagi was shaken from his thoughts when he heard her voice. It wasn't the usual cheerful voice she had.

Her voice was much sexier…

… Much more seductive

And much more alluring.

He almost passed out if not for Mizuho wrapping her arms around him. She whispered seductively into his ear.

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

"No… I'm pretty sure I don't." A mischievous smile spread across his face. "Care to remind me?"

Instead of answering, Mizuho placed her lips on his, joining them in a forceful kiss. Kei was going to answer her back with a more forceful one when…

"Mr. Kusanagi, please refrain from daydreaming in class. The next time you do, you'll be spending the rest of the period in the hallway. Is that understood?"

Kei cringed at that. "Yes ma'am. It won't happen again."

Mizuho, instead of extending her verbal tirade, opted to give him a small smile before returning to her lesson. Kei was obviously surprised by this, but he concealed it very well. It would be pretty embarrassing if his classmates found about his relationship with his teacher just because he couldn't conceal emotions very well.

His thoughts turned back once again to the daydreams he'd been having.

"_Another one? This is the fourth time this week. My dreams already feel real… almost too real." _

"_They also keep getting better and sexier." _His mind added. Kei turned red at that afterthought.

* * *

Mizuho Kazami was having a good day. Her students were active, her classes were far from dull and Kei had just proposed to her. Sure, it had already been two day since his proposal, but it reminded her of how far they have reached as a couple. 

"Mizuho, you look flushed. Are you alright?"

Mizuho looked surprised for a moment before turning to her co-worker. Apparently, she has been thinking about Kei again and was blushing pretty badly. Her co-teacher thought that she was sick or something.

"Yes, I'm fine." _"Absolutely fine!" _

"Can I ask you something?" Her co-teacher asked, with a hint of mischief in her voice. Mizuho gulped involuntarily, already anticipating what the question was.

"Shoot."

"Is that an engagement ring you are wearing?" Mizuho resisted the urge to smack herself. She had forgotten to take the ring off!

She better find a nice, convenient excuse to bail out of the faculty room before her colleague continues with her line of questioning.

* * *

It was almost seven in the evening when Mizuho got home from work. She had to dodge off the barrage of questions her co-teachers badgered her about. It took her a while before she managed to fend them off. 

Feeling exhausted all over, she was about ready to collapse into the futon when she saw Kei cooking dinner. She silently went up behind him before she embraced him. The young Kusanagi placed the ladle down and placed his arms over hers.

"Ma'am, I think you should take a shower and get dressed." Kei said teasingly.

The young Kazami blinked at that, but decided that she liked the new Kei better. With that in mind, she decided to play along.

"Oh, what for? I like it the way it is…" His fiancée said alluringly, teasing him with her hot breath against his ear. Kei tensed slightly, feeling desire washing over him. However, he decided to press on.

"I invited Uncle Minoru and Aunt Konoha over here. I've decided that this is the perfect time to break the 'big news' to them."

Purple eyes suddenly widened at that. "What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I like the way you look when you're surprised." Mizuho bopped him in the head for that. After giving him a glare, she headed for the shower, all the while grumbling about 'Stupid Kei' and his 'idiocy'.

Kei, feeling very pleased with himself, turned back to his cooking.

* * *

"Hey, this tastes good. What did you do with it?" Minoru asked offhandedly as he took a sip of the Miso soup. 

"Oh, I just added some broth cubes in there. I'm glad you liked it" said Kei good-naturedly.

"I didn't know you cook, Kei. You never cooked for us at home." Konoha added with a hint of mischief.

"Well, living with a woman of many talents sure does have its perks." Kei said suavely. Mizuho turned red at the compliment. Seeing this, Kei intertwined his finger with hers. They shared a knowing look before nodding. The young Kusanagi's foster parents could only stare at this.

"Uncle Minoru, Aunt Konoha, we have something to tell you…" Kei began, tightening his grip on Mizuho's hand. She squeezed his in return, as if to reassure him.

"Well, I figured you had something in your mind kid. You don't usually ask us to come over here." Minoru said in a matter-of-fact tone. The he smiled. "Well, what do you have on your mind, kid?"

"We want to get married."

Silence pervaded in the Kazami-Kusanagi household as the Edajima couple just sat there with shell-shocked expressions on their faces. Indeed, they were shocked when their nephew requested that he move in to his teacher's place, but nothing of this magnitude!

"What? I thought-" Then it clicked. The Edajima couple remembered the smiles the young couple shared, the looks they gave one another when the other was not looking…

"_Why haven't we seen this coming?" _

A couple of minutes have passed and the Edajimas just sat there, seemingly entranced in a catatonic fit. The young couple started to worry for their sanity when at long last, Minoru began to speak.

"W-when – h-how – w-why?" Minoru asked with his eyes as wide as saucers. The young couple just chuckled nervously.

"I think its obvious why…" Kei said with a smile, looking at Mizuho again. "As for how, well, I proposed to her." To prove his point, the young couple showed their intertwined hands, the garnet glinting slightly.

The Edajimas digested the new information as Mizuho and Kei anxiously awaited their answer. At last, both foster parents have regained their composure.

"Well, since the two of you seems to be happy about it, we give you our blessings." Konoha said, while sipping some tea.

"Wha-?" Minoru tried to interject but was stopped by his wife with a not-so-subtle glare. The man's shoulders just slumped.

"Sorry dear." Minoru looked like a whipped dog right now.

The young couple just giggled at their banter.

* * *

Kei was humming a tune while he was helping Mizuho wash the dishes. The latter couldn't help but be intrigued by the latter's sudden change of demeanor. 

"What are you so happy about?"

"Well," Kei placed down the dishes he was washing and held his fiancée tight. "I'm happy that things turned out the way they are. Sure, we may not be married yet, but we're getting there." His significant other was obviously pleased his words.

"I guess your right. But there's one thing that's bothering me…"

"What is it?"

"How do we tell mother and Maho about our plan to be married?" Kei suddenly grew concerned. He knew that despite the odd relationship Mizuho had with her sibling and mother, she was very close to them. And now that the federation may be on their backs…

"Don't worry; we'll let them know… somehow." Kei said, trying to reassure Mizuho as he looked into her eyes. The latter just nodded.

"Well, we bette-" Kei was about to suggest that they finish their chores when Mizuho silenced him with a kiss.

"I have better plans for us this evening." Mizuho said seductively as she pulled Kei into the room they shared.

Both had big smiles on their faces.

* * *

**Author's note: **At long last, this chapter is finished! It may not be that long, but it seems that it's pretty challenging to write when you are given free rein over a certain storyline. Anyways, if the characters may seem out-of-character sometimes, it was done on purpose. Theoretically, they will become a lot closer and a lot more expressive in their feelings after the series. Who wouldn't be if you regained someone you thought you had lost? 

Anyways, I would like to thanks these people for giving their input on the previous chapter!

**_Ominae – _**Thanks! But I have decided that they will make an appearance once our favorite couple gets married (again). And let's not forget about the OVA!

**_Hobie _**– Thank you! I just have one request/question though. Does the novel provide any information about the Galaxy Federation? If yes, can you give me some important tidbits about them?

**_Unlucky4leafclover_** – Thanks!

P.S. I apologize to the community because I cannot really conform to the policy regarding no "review replies" in the story because:

1. It is too much of a hassle and

2. Most reviewers do not provide their e-mails…

I sincerely hope you would understand.


	4. Chapter 3

**Title: **Life After

**Author: **Weaver of Words

**Rating: **PG-13

**Number of Words: **2,073

"This" Denotes speech while

"_This" _Denotes thought

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Kei walked towards the classroom, struggling to keep himself upright. Once he reached his seat, he nearly collapsed on to it. His friends were obviously surprised when Kei came in looking dead tired.

"Hey Kei, you look like you were up pretty late last night. What's up?" Hyosuke asked, grinning. Kei just looked up and answered nonchalantly.

"Homework."

"Homework? We didn't have any homework yesterday…" Hyosuke asked, scratching his head. Kei looked up at his friend in disbelief. Could he be any denser?

"Special homework then." Kei finally said, before collapsing onto the desk again. Hyosuke, finally sensing that his friend doesn't want to be bothered, decided to just quietly slip away and join the rest of the gang. Kei other friends, although concerned, decided against asking him right now. He looked like he needed all the sleep he can get before class.

The young Kusanagi, realizing that his friend had already left him, sighed inwardly and smiled as is mind drifted back to last night's "activities". It may have left him dead tired in the morning, but he wasn't going to complain anytime soon.

* * *

"Good morning, class!" Mizuho Kazami said cheerily, quickly entering the room as she was already five minutes late. She may have appeared well-rested, but in reality, she was almost as tired as Kei.

If not much more.

"_I wish there were no classes today, so I could rest… on second thought, what am I complaining about? Last night was-" _She suddenly blushed at the thought. It was a good thing that she had her head down as she arranged her teaching materials or her students would have badgered her about it.

As soon as she finished her arrangements, she gave Kei a subtle wink, before starting on today's classes.

* * *

Kei subtly glanced at his fiancée with a perplexed look in his face. He was amazed at how Mizuho appeared to be in the best shape although he was sure she was as tired as he is.

"_How could she hide it so well?"_ Then a thought crossed his mind.

"_What am I complaining about? Last night was great. I just wish I could hide my fatigue so my classmates won't suspect anything… " _Kei inadvertently followed his fiancée's earlier train-of-thought.

Not wanting to be caught daydreaming again, the young Kusanagi cleared his thoughts and turned back to the lesson at hand. He may be tired, but he'd rather force himself to listen than to fall asleep in the hallway!

* * *

After what seemed to have been an eternity, the bell finally rang. The students ran out of the classroom like bats out of hell. They were obviously eager to enjoy their temporary freedom from anything school-related.

The young Kuanagi, deciding that he wasn't at all hungry, looked around for any students that might see him heading towards the tree-laden school grounds. The said place had become the hidden rendezvous between the two lovers, and he wasn't going to let ANYONE discover it now.

The tree line there provided an excellent hideout for the engaged couple. That, and people rarely go to the outlying school grounds, except when the Biology class decides to trek in there from time to time.

Kei, spotting Mizuho, quietly crept towards her. When he was directly behind her, he covered her eyes. The young man felt her stiffen before he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

* * *

Mizuho stiffened when her vision suddenly went black. She knew who it was, but she was just being cautious. It might be a student, a fellow co-worker playing tricks on her or…

All kinds of thought were cut off when she felt the person's lips pressing onto hers. When they parted, she quickly opened her eyes, and saw that it was none other than Kei. She smiled.

"You gave me quite a workout last night." Mizuho said, her eyes showing her mirth at the situation.

"Same here." Kei replied, pulling Mizuho into his lap. "But I'm not going to have it any other way."

The couple continued to cuddle and talk, oblivious to the fact that two pairs of eyes were watching them.

* * *

Kei was walking alone towards the apartment complex he and his fiancée shared. Usually, the two of them would walk home together in a different route, but Mizuho said she was going to be late today. He sighed.

"_It seems that she's being loaded with more and more work with every passing day. Its not like-"_ His line-of thought was interrupted when…

"When were you planning to tell us?" A feminine voice that seemed to have come out from nowhere asked him frigidly.

Kei stopped dead in his tracks. A chill suddenly went up his spine.

_That voice… I know that voice! _

Kei immediately spun around and came face to face with…

"Uhh, hello there, Maho, Miss Hatsuho…" Kei chuckled nervously, owing it mostly to Maho's icy glare directed towards him. Hatsuho Kazami just laughed and gave Kei a 'motherly' embrace. He tentatively reciprocated the embrace so as to not hurt his soon-to-be mother-in-law's feelings. The young man turned beet red in an instant.

This does not bode well, for Kei that is.

* * *

Mizuho was already on her way home. She managed to finish her work early and was eager to relax with Kei when what she saw next suddenly stopped her.

Kei was locked in an embrace, with another woman no less!

"_How could he do this to me? Ugh!" _Mizuho asked herself, anger suddenly building up inside of her. She quickly decided that it was time to teach Kei a lesson.

A lesson of pain and humiliation!

Steam began to rise up from her ears as she marched towards Kei and the woman. When she was about to rip Kei from the person's grasp and smack him silly, she suddenly stopped when she saw the woman turn to face her.

"_That hair, those eyes… it can't be!" _

"Mother!" Mizuho cried out. She couldn't help but smile and be happy that her mother was here. Hatsuho, releasing Kei, smiled back at her daughter. They shared a brief hug.

"What about me?"

Mizuho turned and saw Maho standing in the distance. The siblings shared an embrace before Mizuho turned her attention back to her mother. Her smile disappeared in an instant as her eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"What were you," She said, pointing to her mother. "doing hugging **my Kei** like that?"

* * *

Kei stood there helplessly as he could already sense the lightning sparks between the mother and daughter. He was just about ready to slink away when-

"You're not going anywhere, not until mother explains all this to me." Mizuho said, pointing at the older woman.

"Alright now, explain." Mizuho said, crossing her arms. Hatsuho just chuckled softly.

"Oh that? That was just platonic affection for my soon-to-be son-in-law." Mizuho and Kei's eyes suddenly grew wide. Both inadvertently shared the same thought.

"_How did she know about that?" _

"Judging by your reaction, both of you seems surprised." Taking into account the lack or response, she continued. "Well, we knew because we were watching you."

Kei and Mizuho both opened their mouths to speak, but decided against it. While the former just stayed silent, the later decided that she still had bigger fish to fry!

"We're straying from the subject." Mizuho said, her eyebrows twitching.

Kei just placed his head on his hands.

This was going to be yet another long day.

* * *

Two pairs of eyes widened in surprise. "So you are Miss Kazami's mother?"

Hatsuho smiled. "Yes. My name is Hatsuho Kazami. And this," Pointing to her youngest daughter, "is her sister, Maho Kazami."

"Really? That's quite surprising." Minoru's eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously.

"Let's face it; there is no way you look anywhere old enough to be her mother."

"Well, you're quite the flatterer." Hatsuho said flirtatiously. Minoru chuckled appreciatively before he noticed Konoha's twitching eyebrow. He coughed.

"I suppose I'll just bluntly have to ask. Do you know about the situation between your daughter and our Kei?" Minoru put on his best poker face.

Yes, of course I know about it. I heard it from the-" Hatsuho carefully chose her words as Mizuho gave her a warning glare. "Letters she usually sends me."

Kei looked on with confusion; their conversations were almost identical to the one with their first meeting with Hatsuho, albeit under different circumstances. He was about to delve deeper into that train-of-thought when-

"So, when are we going to hear the wedding bells?"

* * *

The young couple looked at Maho with surprise. They couldn't believe that Maho would actually be in favor of their engagement, much less a wedding!

The youngest Kazami, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the stares the adults were giving her, placed her hands on her hips and stared back at the couple.

"Well? When are we going to hear it?" Maho asked, albeit exasperatedly. This jolted the young couple from their thoughts.

"W-well, we haven't decided yet…" Kei said nervously, carefully choosing his words or he might just set off the 'walking time-bomb'. He knew how close Maho was with her sister, and one wrong move might-

"Actually, we were thinking that we could have the wedding sometime this week, since all of you are here. And besides, it doesn't need to be a grand ceremony, so it won't need any extravagant preparations. Right, Kei?"

"Yeah." The young Kusanagi couldn't help but agree with his fiancée. He could clearly see the logic in that.

He was going to add more when a thought struck him.

"_If it'll be in a week, how will we find a gown within that?" _

"If you're thinking about a gown, you could always borrow mine. I think it'll look good on Miss Mizuho here." Konoha said, as if reading Kei's mind. The latter looked at the former strangely, but finally smiled.

"Then that settles it. Ok-"

"Wait a second." Maho said, silencing Kei with a raised arm. She glared icily at Kei.

"Even though I am in favor of your wedding or engagement, it doesn't mean I've already changed my opinion about you. I am only doing this for my sister. One wrong move and I'll-" Suddenly remembering that she might accidentally reveal her sister's identity, she carefully chose her next words.

"kick your butt towards the ends of the universe. Are we clear on that?"

"Yes ma'am." Kei said, with a smile tugging at his lips. He was surprised at her sudden change of demeanor, but he was happy nonetheless.

Maho then walked towards her soon-to-be brother-in-law and extended her arm. The young Kusanagi gratefully accepted it.

"It's a deal then."

Mizuho couldn't help but smile at the two. It was very nice to know that the two have finally reached an understanding between the two of them.

_All was right in the world._

_

* * *

_

**Author's note: **Maho and Hatsuho finally make an appearance in the story! I was planning to provide some information on how they got to Earth but then decided against it. After all, I could just add into a later chapter. Anyways, I'm pretty sure that there will at least be one more chapter before I do the OVA chapter. Nothing much to say here except read and review!

Many thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapters!

**_Ominae_** – I've decided to make Maho a little kind during this chapter, so I can justify the ranting she will make in the later chapters. (confusing, I know. :D)

P.S. Its nice to see another Tom Clancy novel reader!

**_SophisticatedAlexir_** – I'm glad you enjoyed it! I actually wrote this fic because I wanted to explore their possible life after the series. I know the credits show a little about what their life had been at the end of the series, but I just felt like I needed to expand on it a little more.

**_Hobie _**– Thank you very much for answering my questions! They should help me greatly in planning my future chapters!

**_BattleAngelKurumi _**– I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. As for school, I'm planning they would find out eventually.

For the most part, I'm actually writing it as I go, but I already have a plot to follow… just needed to expand on it a little more.

As always, constructive criticism, comments and suggestions are most welcome!


	5. Chapter 4

**Title: **Life After

**Author: **Inspired Seeker

**Rating: **PG-13

**Number of Words: **1,648**  
**

"This" Denotes speech while

"_This" _Denotes thought

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Kei couldn't concentrate on the lesson today. He tried very hard to focus on that bit about Kanji structure, but eventually sighed in defeat. It was only a few days before the wedding day, and they haven't prepared yet!

He was experiencing a really bad case of wedding jitters.

"Oh man, and I thought the first time was rough…"

"What is?"

Kei turned his head and saw that is was Matagu who asked him. He just gave his friend a weary smile and sighed.

"The we- I mean, the first time I pulled an all-nighter. Yeah, that's it."

Matagu gave him a curious look, but decided not to press further. He opted to ask him later about it.

Kei subtly sighed in relief. He was silently thanking the powers-that-be for the smooth save.

"_That was a close one. It's a good thing Mizuho didn't hear that, or I'll be getting an earful later…" _He involuntarily cringed at the thought.

"Hey Kei, do you want to join me and the guys in a trip to town this Sunday?" Matagu asked Kei, hoping that he would come.

"I'd love to, but I can't. I have some… important affairs to take care of." Kei could see that Matagu was clearly disappointed by the response.

"What important matt-." As if on cue, the bell rang, signifying the end of the first break. Both friends just looked at each other.

"It seems that we'll have to save this conversation later. See ya!" Kei said, rushing off towards the classroom. Matagu was left standing there, thinking about Kei's earlier actions.

"_He's acting strange… Is he hiding something?"

* * *

_

"I think the others are beginning to suspect something." Kei furtively whispered at Mizuho. His fiancée just sighed.

"Well, it can't be helped I guess, since your spending more and more time with me and less time with them."

Kei took this chance to tease her. "Why? Don't you like it that way?"

"Well, erm… I-" Mizuho was stumbling over her words. She obviously fell for Kei's ploy.

The young Kusanagi, pleased that he had tricked Mizuho, laughed at her. Mizuho look confused at first, before she bopped him. After a few seconds, she joined him in his laughter. They found themselves in an embrace not long after.

"So, what are we going to do about them?" Kei asked, pulling his fiancée to his lap. She sighed contentedly.

"We'll worry about that later." Mizuho smiled up at him as she gave him a deep kiss.

* * *

"What? He can't join us… AGAIN?" Hyosuke said incredulously, scratching the back of his head. The others just sighed. 

"Don't you notice? He's been acting strange these past few days. He rarely goes home with us anymore!" Koishi said to the group. She too was worried with Kei's recent behavior.

"When you think about it, yeah, you're right…" Hyosuke said. The others looked at him with wide eyes.

"_Is he really that thick?" _Hyosuke looked strangely at the looks being given to him, but continued on anyway.

"But I have a plan to uncover the truth!" He exclaimed, grinning wildly. The others just sweat dropped.

"We should follow him home!" Suprisingly, It was Ichigo who spoke next.

"Isn't that bad? I mean, we're going to be invading his privacy if we do follow him." But Hyosuke was apparently prepared by that.

"Nonsense! We can always say that we were just concerned with his welfare!" The rest of the group nodded thoughtfully. Most of them still had their reservations about the whole thing, but their curiosity was getting the best of them.

* * *

As Kei rounded the corner from the school gate, a couple of eyes were following him. 

They had unanimously decided to follow Kei and uncover the truth behind his odd behavior.

"Are you sure we're supposed to be doing this?" Matagu said to the others a bit too loudly.

* * *

Kei suddenly stopped when he heard a voice. 

"_Was that Matagu's voice?" _He asked himself as he scanned the area. Seeing nobody behind him, he continued on, oblivious to the fact that he was being followed.

"Sorry." Matagu said sheepishly.

The others simply issued a low growl and stared daggers at him.

* * *

Mizuho was getting slightly worried about Kei. They had agreed to change the routes they take on going home and changing the usual time they go home from school.

Still, she couldn't push back the nagging feelings at the back of her mind.

"Marie, please locate Kei for me. This is a priority one."

The little being began to "say" something unintelligible to Mizuho. The young Kazami sighed in relief.

"Still in the school vicinity, I see…" Then a slight frown marred her features. "Could you please check if there's someone following Kei?"

A few tense moments pass before Marie reported his findings. Purple eyes widened.

* * *

Kei was still trotting down the alternate route to home; still oblivious to the people following him. He jumped back slightly when a familiar yellow being suddenly appeared before him. 

"Marie?" Kei looked around for a few moments. He heard a few rustling noises, but he shrugged them off.

* * *

"What is that?" 

"Maybe it's a toy."

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Kei asked the little supercomputer as it floated in front of him. It started to mutter something unintelligible again but fortunately, Kei knew enough of its system's knowledge to understand what it was trying to say. 

"What? I'm being followed?" Kei asked the little being in a low voice. Marie made a sound akin to agreement. Kei just sighed.

"Thank you, Marie." The small being didn't respond as it left as quickly as it had appeared in the first place.

When he turned his head to the left he was certain he saw a wisp of blonde hair. Deciding that he needed an explanation, he began to walk towards the bushes, fairly certain that his spying friends were hiding behind them.

* * *

"Quick! He's walking this wa-" But it was too late. 

"Guys, come out, I know your there." Kei's stern voice reverberated through the woods. His friends sighed dejectedly as they faced Kei.

"Why were you following me?"

"Because we were concerned! You tend to disappear during breaks, and you rarely spend time with us!"

Kei was surprised by the outburst but pressed on.

"Well, I'm sorry for that… but it doesn't give you a right to spy on me!"

His friends rarely saw Kei angry, and this was the few times they could say that he was downright furious. They inched back a little as Kei gave them a penetrating glare.

Kei noticed their movement and decided that now was not the time to get angry. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to smile at them.

"Please don't do this next time, alright? I'll see you in the morning." Kei said with finality as he turned away from them.

* * *

Nobody spoke a word or moved an inch for a few moments as they saw Kei's retreating figure. They couldn't believe they would easily be caught like that and the fact Kei almost lost their temper at them. 

Four glares were than directed to Hyosuke. The said man felt a lump in his throat.

"If it wasn't for this "brilliant" idea of yours, we wouldn't have gotten into trouble!"

"I'm sorry alright! I just wanted to know why Kei was acting strange!"

The rest of the group began bickering as they argued about who to blame. Only Matagu and Ichigo were the ones who weren't involved.

"_He really must be hiding something."_

Both unknowingly shared the same thought.

* * *

Kei was slowly walking towards home, fairly certain that no one was watching him. But being the worrywart that he is, he couldn't help but think that they might be lurking in the corner, lulling him in a false sense of calm as they discover the secret he had painstakingly guarded. 

The young Kusanagi tried to clear his mind of the worries that clouded him. He almost succeeded, but one thought really alarmed him.

"_They must be on to me."

* * *

_

**Author's note: **I'm sorry for the late chapter, but my Christmas vacation is almost nearing its end, and I was forced to complete my pending school work. Anyways, this chapter was written so I can justify Kei's relationship with his friends in future chapters and, more, importantly, give me a chance to expound on his friend's feelings when they finally find out about his relationship with Mizuho.

I would like to thank the following people:

**_golden-eyedwolf842_** – Thank you! And yes, this fic still has a long ways to go before completion!

**_mr.kusanagi _**– Thank you for reading! I actually got the motivation to make a 'continuation' fic when I felt that the end of the series (including the OAV) kept me hanging.

**_BattleAngelKurumi _**– Thanks! And I wholeheartedly agree about that "Priority One" thing…

**_SophisticatedAlexir _**– Thank you! Once I get the time, I will drop a review on your fics!

**_Ominae _**– Thank you for reading! I shall be checking out your other stories as well.

**_BakaOtaku173 _**– Thank you! I was actually considering of doing it myself, but since I have already started using English purely, it may become a bit odd if I start using them now but…

Once I get halfway through to the story, I shall revise them so it'll have a more Japanese feel to it!

**_Arimi Kinamoto _**– Thanks for reading! I like the idea, so I'm taking it into consideration…

And to those who have read yet have not dropped a review, I thank you for reading!

As always, constructive criticism, comments and suggestions are most welcome!


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